Last year I was pretty excited when I got the “We Are All Reapers Here” 12”EP in from CONCRETE. Not only because I love the format it was released on, also because the sound of the band was, and still is, a furious mix of Oi! and hardcore! And with the new “Subculture Street Trooper” 7” and the “We Are All Subculture Street Troopers” mini-CD (which combines both mentioned releases) it was time to ask Manny, the singer of this Austin, TX streetrock outfit a few questions! Oh and yeah, American Oi! took some part in these releases as well, so it’s also a little shameless self-promotion for ourselves!
Hi Manny, thanks for doing this interview! Could you first introduce yourself and the other members in CONCRETE?
I take care of the mic, JJ slaps the bass, Ram hit’s the skins, Kevin and Cody strum and stroke their guitars.
Can you give us a brief history prior to last year’s 12” EP “We Are All Reapers Here”? Were you guys in other bands before CONCRETE and how did CONCRETE got together?
I recorded the backbone to those songs on the ep more than 10 years ago on a tape recorder under the heavy influence of Combat 84 and Negative Approach. They were dusted off a couple years ago I did some recruiting and Concrete was born. What the songs came out to be were more than I expected all the boys really did their own part to make them what they are. A list of bands we have been part of or are still part of are Glue, Prions, Night Siege, One Against Many, Impalers, Coptic Times, Streetcleaner, Ekstraction, and I am sure they are many more. Most of us have been active in bands 10+ years.
Like I said last year you released the 12” EP “We Are All Reapers Here”, both the debut for you guys and record label Cadre Productions. What did you expect the reactions would be on this record once the master was sent to the pressing plant and there was no turning back on it being released?
When Austin from Cadre asked if we would be interested in releasing the 12” ep with his new label we were beyond grateful. I have know Austin for a long time been a fan of his band The Broadsiders since day one. We are glad to be getting such positive feedback for Concrete and Cadre. Austin and his friends who run Cadre have a great thing going on in Dallas. Touring bands should make sure to make that a stop when coming through Texas. We do this for us and our friends to have a reason to get together and have a good time. As long as we keep doing that I feel we are doing what we are meant to do. The attention and support we are getting is the icing on the cake! Cadre believing in us really put us out there and we are forever grateful for that.
And did the reactions live up to your expectation? I was literally blown away the first time I heard “We Are All Reapers Here”, so hard and raw! I loved it!
That is awesome to hear! The reactions we have been getting are beyond any expectations again beyond grateful for every ones support.
What influenced you guys in your music and how would you describe your band’s sound?
I have a love for classic American hardcore ala Agnostic Front, Negative Approach, Poison Idea, The Fix etc. and of course the classic heavier wave of Oi! ala Condemned 84, Combat 84, The Oppressed, Close Shave etc. I can not speak for the rest of the guys but we all share some common interests and have enough diversity to write a solid Concrete song we can all call our own. Our sound? Gritty, Heavy and Catchy.
You guys recorded some new songs of which “Subculture Street Trooper” and “Born To Never Lose” are about to be released on vinyl and CD. Excited?
Fuck yeah we are! Rebellion, Rebel Sound and American Oi! are doing a great job on getting the word out there. “Subculture Street Trooper” will be the Concrete anthem. Also be good to have the “We Are All Reapers Here” 12” EP Cadre Records put out along with the new 7” on one CD. Great to be part of a label who has worked with so many fantastic bands! Also big thank you to Alex at death/traitors for really doing a great job with the cover art for both the 7” and CD.
Other new songs are “Unbreakable Breed”, “History Turns To Rubble” and “Last Of The Gang To Die”. When, how and where will these tracks be released on?
We got “Unbreakable Breed” and “History Turns to Rubble” being released on a split 7” with our boys Assault & Battery from Milwaukee due out in a couple months. We have One Track Mind Records putting that bad boy out. “Last of the Gang to Die” is going to be released on 7” format as part of Voice of America Vol.4 on Oi! The Boat Records due out in a few months. They got Hard Evidence, Sniper 66, and Die Trying part of that 4 way split.
Can you tell something about the lyrical content of the new songs? What are they about?
“Subculture Street Trooper“ is the Concrete anthem for anyone who has become part of a subculture and will die part of a subculture. “Born to Never Lose” and “Unbreakable Breed” are about self empowerment. “History Turns to Rubble” is about our city Austin,Tx growing uncontrollably but using it to our advantage. “Last of the Gang to Die” is about coping with the loss of a brother.
What does the future hold for CONCRETE? What are your plans?
We started writing our debut LP due out later this year. Rebellion Records will be releasing it in Europe and will be looking for someone in the USA to release it when we get the material recorded during this summer. We got Midwest Live and Loud in Chicago coming up in May and we are really looking forward to that weekend. It should be one to write home about. Got a show coming up with the mighty Bishops Green here in Austin.Tx on April 5th. As far as touring goes we all have real jobs now but still barely getting by so its kind of tuff but we will probably shot up one US coast at a time a week or two on each side. I know we all want to find our way to Europe to meet the labels supporting us along with the friends and fans we have made through Concrete!
Okay that’s it, feel free to add anything!
Look out for your friends and family. Thank you to all those who support Concrete.
www.concreteusa.bigcartel.com www.rebellionshop.com www.americanoi.bigcartel.com www.rebelsoundrecords.com www.cadretx.com www.deathtraitors.com www.oiofamerica.blogspot.com www.oitheboat.com www.onetrackmind.bigcartel.com
